Lost Planet 2 takes the best bits of the original title and adds four-player coop, more boss battles and a lush environment. But is it enough to overcome the mediocrity of Lost Planet: Extreme Condition?

What Is It?
Sequel to Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, third-person shooter Lost Planet 2 returns players to E.D.N. III ten years after the events of the original title. Gamers have to battle the native fauna of the now lush jungle planet while taking on marauding teams of pirates.

What We Saw
I played alongside three other gamers as we fought to take down a giant, six-legged Akrid. I played it once fighting traditionally from the ground and a second time making my way inside the creature to help kill it from the inside.

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How Far Along Is It?
Due out this winter, the section of the game I played through was very polished.

What Needs Improvement?
Controls: The controls felt a bit loose for my liking, but it may just be that I need more time with the game to adjust.

What Should Stay The Same?
Coop: From what I saw, Lost Planet is far more enjoyable when played as part of a team. Working together you can take down the many over-sized Akrid now inhabiting the planet in epic battles that blend the best elements of the game into a single solid experience.

I Want To Be Inside You: There are plenty of things that sell Lost Planet 2: The new lush environment, the cool character customization, the wide variety of weapons and four-player coop. But when I finally sat down to play the game the only thing I wanted to do was crawl inside the giant lizards mouth and start blowing apart its intestines.

To do this you have to position yourself directly in front of the creatures mouth and wait for him to open up, which is far easier said than done since he tends to move around a lot. I got stomped to death a good half dozen times before I finally managed to get inside the creature.

Once inside you have to deal with smaller, human-sized Akrid living in the things intestines. You also have to make sure you don't travel too far back or risk being violently shot from the rear of the creature. The main goal is a large glowing growth that recedes into the creatures body when it is attacked from outside. When it lowers down into his body you can unload a gun into it, forcing it to slowly stick back out again, allowing you buddies on the outside to shoot it. You don't have to attack from both the inside and outside to kill the creature, but it does speed things up.

Vital Suits: They're back. The mechanized suits come equipped with different weapons and make slugging away at giant monsters much more fun. Some new suits also allow players to cling to the outside of them, riding shotgun as you take on enemies.

Final Thoughts
Lost Planet 2 is shaping up to be a game that takes the best elements of the original and adds a slew of new ideas to create something far more enjoyable.

It's going to take a lot more time with the game before I can really tell what it's like, but these short battles have really raised my expectations.